This application claims the priority of German application 197 01 501.8-12 filed in Germany on Jan. 17, 1997, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The invention relates to a method and a device for pressing a preassembled ball joint cartridge into a bearing eye of a tie rod end.
German Patent Document DE 44 45 251 A1 shows a mounting arrangement for a ball joint cartridge in a tie rod end of a motor vehicle. The tie rod is made from Thixocasting, an aluminum with a high degree of toughness. The receiving opening and/or bearing eye in the tie rod end, into which the bearing housing of the ball joint cartridge is inserted, is not machined. The prefabricated ball joint cartridge is pressed axially as a unit into the receiving opening and/or bearing eye of the tie rod end.
Reference is made herein to the general prior art in German Patent Document DE AS 20 08 935, DE-OS 27 56 228, and DE-OS 2 111 138.
The present invention is intended to provide a method and a device of the species recited at the outset for pressing a preassembled ball joint cartridge into place, so that the pressing process proceeds safely, efficiently, and simply, and friction-optimized and zero-play support for the bearing ball can nevertheless be achieved following the pressing process. Unless necessary, no previous machining is required for the bearing eye of the tie rod end, with it being intended instead to be used in the unfinished state.
According to the invention these and other objects are achieved by providing a device and process for pressing a preassembled ball joint cartridge into a bearing eye of a tie rod end, said ball joint cartridge comprising a ball joint pin, a bearing shell surrounding the joint ball, and a bearing housing that surrounds the bearing shell and is pressed into the bearing eye, the method comprising the acts of placing the tie rod end together with the bearing eye on a receiving device located on a press table; inserting the ball joint cartridge bearing housing into the bearing eye in such fashion that initially only the bearing shell fits with contact in an endwise conical area into a matching cone of the bearing eye, while the bearing housing of the joint cartridge still has axial play in the bearing eye; centering the bearing eye coaxially with respect to a pressing device aligned axially and perpendicularly thereto; centering a free end of a pin shaft of the ball joint pin coaxially with respect to the pressing device and pretensioning the pin shaft axially in the pressing direction in such fashion that the bearing shell is secured axially in the bearing eye by the ball joint pin; and pressing a pressing member of the pressing device against the bearing housing to thereby press said housing into bearing eye.
As a result of the method and device according to the invention, a preassembled ball joint cartridge can be pressed precisely and without considerable effort into the bearing housing of a tie rod end. This results in a higher degree of process safety and manufacturing quality of the joint during assembly.
Advantageously, the method can be used for tie rods that exhibit a corresponding elasticity or toughness that permits the bearing housing of the ball joint cartridge to be pressed into place. These include for example tie rods made of aluminum or aluminum alloy which can therefore remain unmachined.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.